Mail-distributing device



c. M. RICHARDSON, MAIL DISTRIBUTING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 14. I9l9.

w M 1m MM Mm R m M m c. 'M. RICHARDSON.

MAIL DISTRIBUTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 14, 919.

Patemed Sept 27, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

C. M. RICHARDSON.

MAIL DISTRIBUTING DEVICE.

' APPLICATION FILED MAR. 14. m9.

PatentedSept. 27,1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET}.

C. M. RICHARDSON.

MAIL DISTRIBUTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 14. 1919.

1,391,693. PatentedSept. 27,1921.

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vfleeting members "for shifting the letters UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MAIL-DISTRIBUTING- DEVICE.

3 Application filed March 14, 1919. Serial No. 282,625.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES M. RICHARD- soN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Distributing Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to mail distributing devices.

It .is my purpose to provide a device of this character through the instrumentality of which the rapidity of distribution of mail can be greatly increased and which will correspondingly increase the amount of mail matter that can be distributedby each individual clerk whereby economy of operation is had both in respect to output and the amount of labor required.

, Furthermore, it is my purpose to provide a device of this character which will occupy a relatively small space, and which can be constructed to accommodate an indefinite number of clerks.

It isalso my purpose to provide a device of this character which will be positive and efficient in operation and which will distribute letters in edge supported stacks,that is, each letter resting upon one ofits edges and the letters of the stack being arranged side toside whereby they may be conven- -iently removed and bound up for transportation.

, I will describe my invention in the best form known tome at present, but it will be understood that itis susceptible to extensive changes in forms and proportions and to desirable additions with the exercise of only ordinary mechanical skill and without departing from the spirit thereof.

In describing my invention in detail reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the several sprocket wheels fixed on a shaft 36 suitably device Fig. 2, a section on the line 2+2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3,-a section on the line 3-301? Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a front elevation of the device Fig. 5, a view in elevation of one of the defrom the endless conveyer to a related spiral conveyer. Y

Fig. 6, a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5; Fig. 7,.a perspective view of one of the spiral conveyers;

Fig. 8, a plan view of a fragment of the device showing a modified and preferred form of spiral-conveyer, V

Fig. 9, a section onthe line 9-9 Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. .27, 1921- i Fig. l0, a section on the line 10-l0 of t Fig. 8.

Referring to the drawings my improved distributing. device is shown as comprising a table A which is provided with a plurality of receiving troughs 15, 16, 17 and 18 formed by vertical longitudinal walls 19,

20, 21, 22 and 23, said walls being connected at one end by a transverse wall 24. The table A is further provided with a plurality of distributing troughs 25, 26, 27 and 28 which are disposed at right angles to and communicate with the troughs 15, 16, 17 and 18 respectively at the delivery ends of the latter. It will be noted that the walls 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23 of the receiving troughs increase in height successively so that a suit able designation may be visibly applied to indicate to the distributer what letters are to be, deposited in each receiving trough. The bottoms of the receiving troughs are formed of endless conveyers 29, 30, 31 and 32 respectively. These conveyers are of multiple sprocket construction although any other desirable construction may be utilized andare supported at their receiving ends upon sprocket wheels 33 fixed upon a drive shaft 34 suitably journaled on the table A and driven from any suitable source of power (not shown). The conveyers 29 and 32 are of equal length and supported at their delivery ends upon sprocket wheels fixed on Qa-shaft 35 suitably journaled on the table A and disposed directly beneath the common longitudinal center of the distributing troughs 25 and28. Likewise the conveyers 30 and 31 are of equal length and are supported at their delivery. ends upon journaled on the table A and disposed directly beneath the common longitudinal center of the distributing troughs 26 and 27. Mounted on the shaft 35 are spiral conveyers 37 and 38 which project through openings 39 and 40 respectively in the bottoms of the troughs 25 and 28. Likewise distributing troughs 26 and 27. In order to shift the letters from theendless conveyers to their related spiral conveyers I provide deflector plates 45 corresponding in number to the number of endless conveyers and also to the number of spiral conveyersv The de fiector plate 45 associated with the endless conveyer 29 is mounted on the wall 20 while that associated with the endless conveyer 32- is mounted on the wall22. The deflector plates associated with the conveyers 30 and 3 1. are mounted on opposite sides of the wall 21. Each deflector plate 45' comprises a base portion 46 adjustably mounted in a recess 47 formed in the related supporting wall. The active portion of each defiector plate extends diagonally across the related endless conveyer and serves to shift the moving letter into position to be operatively engaged by the related spiral conveyer. By referring to Fig. '7 it will be seen that I provide each of these spiral conveyers with two engaging lips 48 and 49 whereby it is renderedpos'sible for'the conveyer to operatively engage two letters during each complete revolution of the conve er. In order to maintain letters in substantially the vertical position in which they are delivered fromv the spiral conveyers I dispose in'each distributing trough a shiftable. stacker block 50 against which the first letters are delivered and which are pushed outwardly by the accumulating stacks of letters as will be obvious. When a stack of letters is removed from a given distributing trough the related stacker block is of course manually returned to its initial position. It will be understood however, that any other suitable means may I i be employed for forming the letters delivered-from the spiral conveyers into edge supporting stacks. Along the front ofthe table I have provided a plurality of extensions '51 which constitute a support for the supply of letters to be distributed while beneath each extension I suspend a seat-52 for the use of a distributer while at work. IVhile I have illustrated and described a distributing device embodying four receiving troughs and tour distributing troughs the number of these troughs may be indefinitely increased to meet the requirements of any particular distribution and likewise the lengths of the receiving troughs may be indefinitely increased to accommodate any desired number of distributers.

In the operation of the device if a letter is deposited in the trough 18 it willbe supported in substantially vertical position by the conveyer 32 and moved by the latter in the direction of the distributing trough 28. hen the letter reaches a point adjacent the delivery end of the conveyer it will be deflected outwardly by the plate 45 and positioned by the latter so as to be operatively engaged by the spiral conveyer 38 when it will be moved by said spiral conveyer in substantially vertical position outwardly of the trough 28 and finally delivered against the stacker block 50. A corrresponding operation will take place in respect to letters deposited .in any of the other receiving sponse to letters of varying thicknesses. In other respects the form of invention illustrated in Figs. 8, 9 and 10 isthe same as that heretofore described.

I claim 1. In a mail distributing device, a hori- Zontal endless conveyer for initially receiving and moving letters thereon with the plane 01. each letter extending subsantially in the direction of movement of the conveyer and intersecting the latter at an angle,

a second conveyer forsubsequentl'y receiving and moving letters with the plane of each letter extending at "right angles to the direction of movement imparted to the "letters by said second conveyer, and means for shifting letters from the first conveyer to the second conveyer.-

'2. In a mail listributing device; an endless conveyer for initially receiving and moving letters,-a spiral conveyer for subsequently moving letters in substantially vertical position,

and means for delivering let'- ters from the endless conveyerto the spiral conveyer.

3; In mail distributing device, an endless conveyer for initially receiving and moving letters,a lateral trough at one end of the conveyer, a spiral conveyer operating in said trough for subsequently moving letters in substantially vertical position, and means for shifting letters from the endless conveyer into position to be operatively engaged by the spiral conveyer.

n a mail distributing device, a conveyer for initially receiving and movingfletters a spiral conveyer for subsequently moving letters in substantiallyjvertical position and actuated by the first conveyer and means for shiftingletters from the first conveyer into position to be operatively engaged by'the spiral conveyer.

5. In a mail distributing device, a "conveyer for initially receiving and moving letters, a spiral conveyer for subsequently moving letters in substantially vertical position, said spiral conveyer being formed of a strand resilient material wherebyits coils are 'yieldablein response "to letters of varying thicknesses, and means for shifting let ters from the first conveyer to a position to be operatively engaged by the'spiral eonveyer.

6. In a mail distributing device, a p1urality of conveyers for initially receiving and moving letters, a plurality of spiral conveyers associated with the first conveyers respectively for subsequently moving letters in substantially vertical position, and means for shifting letters from each first conveyer to a position to be operatively engaged by the related spiral conveyer.

7. In a mail distributing device, a plurality of endless conveyers for initially receiving and moving letters, a lateral trough at the end of each conveyer, a spiral conveyer operating in each trough for subsequently moving letters in substantially vertical position, and means for shifting letters from each endless conveyer to a position to be operatively engaged by the related spiral conveyer.

8. In a mail distributing device, a plurality of endless conveyers for initially receiving and moving letters, a lateral trough at the end of each conveyer, a spiral conveyer operating in each trough for subsequently moving letters in subsantially vertical position, means for shifting letters from each endless conveyer to a position to be operatively engaged by its related spiral conveyer, and connections between said endless and spiral conveyors whereby the operation of the former will actuate the latter.

9. In a mail distributing device, a plua pair of spiral conveyers rality of contiguous endless conveyers for initially receiving and moving letters, said conveyers being arranged in pairs of equal length, a single rotatable shaft supporting the delivery ends of the conveyer of each pair, mounted on each shaft to receive letters from respective endless conveyers of the corresponding pair and move same in substantially vertical position, and means for shifting endless conveyer to a position to be operatively engaged by the related spiral conveyer.

10. In a mail distributing device, a plurality of receiving troughs, a plurality of distributing troughs communicating respectively with the receiving troughs, means associated with each receiving trough for m0ving letters deposited therein to the related distributing trough, means associated with each distributing trough for further moving letters delivered from the related receiving trough in substantially vertical position, and means for supporting letters deliverecl from the moving means of each distributing trough in substantially vertical position.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES M. RICHARDSON. Witnesses:

HENRY T. BRIGHT, FLORENCE A. BLINN.

letters from each 

